You better watch out! 3 holiday scams to be aware of

While we’re looking forward to spending quality time with the family and tucking into some good food this Christmas, cybercriminals aren’t taking the holidays off. For them, it’s a massive opportunity to take advantage of the surge in online shopping activity during those last-minute rushes to get the perfect gift.

According to McAfee's 2024 Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study, Black Friday-themed emails alone saw a 495% increase from October to early November. Christmas-related emails rose by 314% during that same period.

In fact, 3 in 5 Americans are on high alert this year for holiday scams due to the surge in AI-powered attacks, and 78% believe cybercriminal activity intensifies during the festive season.